I have had personal experience with TC & I have posed the same question of basings. His answer was that 'He' would never let it happen as the 'company' would lose control of the pilots as they would inevitably form a union and demand their rights which are currently denied, or at least blurred, in the UAE.
Looking at EKs ranking in the airline table of the current Flight mag this month, this policy may be forced into review despite TCs megalomania. Basings will have to be considered as the dis-economies of scale will force the company to consider the spectre of basings as it will simply become too expensive to keep 2, 3, 4 thousand pilots in Dubai...
You only have to look at the airlines above EK in the rankings who do offer basings that it is only a matter of time until EK will be forced to do it, not only because of the obvious dis-economies, but also to attract pilots in an increasingly competitive market.